Cheltenham Festival Day 4 Tips: An ultimate race guide to Gold Cup Day

• Everything you need to know about Day 4 at the Cheltenham Festival

• Get a full race guide to Gold Cup day at Cheltenham 

• All race times listed with stats and trends to guide your Day 4 bets

• For the latest Betfair Racing odds click here

• Click here for more racing tips

• Bet £10 get £10 every weekend up to Cheltenham

• Check out our 2026 Cheltenham Festival Mega Guide

Another Betfair Superboost winner! 

It's three winning Superboosts in Cheltenham week after our final day selection landed. More than 11,000 Betfair customers were on Willie Mullins' Selma De Vary to finish in the top four of the Triumph Hurdle at boosted odds of 5/42.25 from 4/91.44. Together with Old Park Star and Jonbon that means we have paid out multiple times this week! 

Cheltenham Weather (Real Time) - Four Day Forecast

Racing... Only Bettor. Listen to our Cheltenham Festival preview now.

Day 4 Races - Gold Cup Day

The final day of the Cheltenham Festival commences with the Grade 1Triumph Hurdle at 13:20, a race for the best 4yo juveniles in National Hunt racing, before we get to see some of the best female chasers in the Grade 2 Mares' Chase at 14:40.

The Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at 15:20 is the final Grade 1 hurdle race of the week and it is renowned for throwing up some big prices winners down the years, and then we're on to the highlight of the whole Festival, the Cheltenham Gold Cup at 16:00, which is the final Grade 1 contest of what is sure to be a fabulous four days of top class racing.

Below we have your day four schedule with market links to every race on the Betfair Sportsbook and BetfairExchange. Note that all market links are now 'Day of the Race' markets and not antepost.

We also have stats and trends for every race while we'll keep you up to date with the latest news, confirmed entries and relevant information on a regular basis from now until the first race of the day.

Friday's race schedule:

- 13 Feb:  The Betfair Sportsbook is now Non-Runner No Bet on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races

- 7 Feb:  Haiti Couleurs wins Grade 2 Denman Chase at Newbury and is into 8/19.00 for the Gold Cup

- 3 Feb:  The Jukebox Man removed from Ryanair Chase with the Gold Cup his intended target

- 2 Feb:  The Cheltenham Gold Cup is now 5/16.00 the field after Galopin Des Champs defeat at DRF

- 2 Feb:  Narciso Has a strong 5/42.25 favourite for Triumph Hurdle after impressive DRF win

Cheltenham Day 4 Stats and Trends (last 10 winners)

13:20 Triumph Hurdle

• 9/10 had last run between 18 and 55 days prior to the race
• 8/10 were Irish-trained
• 7/10 had previously had no more than three hurdles runs
• 7/10 had finished 1st or 2nd last time out
• 7/10 had a starting price in single figures
• 7/10 was by a Group 1-winning Sire
• 5/10 were trained by Willie Mullins (including last four years)
• 3/10 were ridden by Paul Townend

Record of the Favourites:

Four winners in last 10 years at odds of 11/82.38, 6/42.50, 5/23.50 and 9/25.50.

The best juvenile hurdlers in UK and Ireland commence the final day of the Cheltenham Festival in the prestigious Triumph Hurdle, a race that has been won by some big-name horses in the past including two-time Grand National winner Tiger Roll, and more recently, this year's Champion Chase favourite Majborough and the Mares' Hurdle favourite Lossiemouth.

We had a strong ante-post favourite this year in the shape of the Willie Mullins-trained Narciso Has, but he suffered an injury setback in the middle of February and has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival, leaving the 2026 renewal of the Triumph Hurdle wide open as it currently stands.

14:00 County Handicap Hurdle

• 9/10 were trained by Willie Mullins (5) or Dan Skelton (4)
• 7/10 were aged 5yo or 6yo
• 7/10 had an Official Rating between 131 and 141
• 7/10 carried no more than 11st 1lb
• 6/10 had a starting price in double figures
• 6/10 had previously had no more than nine hurdles runs
• 6/10 were Irish-trained

Record of the Favourites:

Two winners in last 10 years at odds of 11/43.75 and 3/14.00.

14:40 Mares' Chase

*There have been only five editions of the Mares' Chase

• 5/5 had won on their previous run
• 5/5 were Irish-trained
• 4/5 had a starting price in single figures
• 4/5 were owned by JP McManus
• 3/5 were sent off second favourite
• 3/5 were trained by Willie Mullins

Record of the Favourites:

One winner in last five years at odds of 6/42.50.

15:20 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle

• 10/10 did not start as the race favourie
• 9/10 were aged 6yo or 7yo
• 8/10 had previously had no more than four hurdles runs
• 8/10 had a starting price in double figures
• 7/10 had finished in the top three last time out
• 7/10 were Irish-trained
• 6/10 had previously won over 2m4f or further
• 4/10 were trained by Willie Mullins
• 4/10 were ridden by Paul Townend

Record of the Favourites:

No winners in last 10 years.

The final Grade 1 hurdle of the week, the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle is a race that often throws up a big-price winner with eight of the last 10 winners returning a double-figure starting price, including winners at 16/117.00, 18/119.00 (twice), 33/134.00 (twice) and [50/1. No favourite has won the race in the last 10 years.

There's every chance we'll get a double-figure price winner this year also with only two entries - Doctor Steinberg and Thedeviluno - trading at single figures in the ante-post market.  It is very likely that come the day a few more runner will have shortened dramatically in the market as final declarations are known, but if there's one Graded race across the whole week where it may be worth taking a chance on an outsider then this is the one.

The trends point to a lightly-raced 6yo ro 7yo that has previously won over a trip of at least 2m4f. If there' a big-price runner that meets those trends this year, then the 10-year trends suggest it will be worth chancing.

16:00 Cheltenham Gold Cup

• 10/10 hand an Official Rating of 160 or more (9/10 were 164+)
• 10/10 had previously won a Grade 1 chase (including Novice Chase)
• 10/10 had previously run at the Cheltenham Festival
• 9/10 were aged 7yo or 8yo
• 9/10 had previously won over 3m or further
• 9/10 had previously won or been placed at the Cheltenham Festival
• 9/10 had run no more than four times that season
• 9/10 had a starting price in single figures
• 9/10 were Irish-trained
• 8/10 had won a Graded chase that season
• 4/10 were trained by Willie Mullins
• 4/10 were ridden by Paul Townend

Record of the Favourites:

Five winners in last 10 years at odds of 10/111.91, 7/52.40, 9/43.25, 3/14.00 and 10/34.33.

And so we move on to the feature race of the week, the blue ribband event, the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Steeped in history, the Gold Cup has been won by some of national hunt's most famous names including in the modern era horses like Dawn Run, Desert Orchid, Best Mate, Kauto Star, Denman and Galopin Des Champs.

Galopin Des Champs won this race in 2023 and 2024 but he won't get a chance to regain his crown after being ruled out for the remainder of the season. However, trainer Willie Mullin can still win the race as he has the antepost favourite Gaelic Warrior who will bid to go one place better than his runner-up position in the Irish Gold Cup in February.

Although Irish-trained winners have dominated recent years, two of the ante-post favourites for this year's renewal are the British-trained Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man. As either a 7yo or 8yo, a winner of a Grade 1 Chase previously, a Graded race winner this season, both have a lot of ticks in the right boxes in terms of 10-year trends, but one worrying trend that Jango Baie fails on is that he's never won over a trip of 3m or beyond.

Sam Turner's Ante-post Tip:

*Please Note: The prices for Sam's tips shown in this column are what he advised them at antepost and not their current prices.

*You can read Sam's column in full to find out why he likes the chances of Gaelic Warrior in the Gold Cup

16:40 Festival Hunters' Chase

• 8/10 were aged 10yo or 11yo
• 8/10 had previously won over 3m or further
• 8/10 had finished in the top thee last time out
• 6/10 had a starting price in double figures
• 6/10 had won last time out
• 6/10 had previously never run over hurdles

Record of the Favourites:

Three winners in last 10 years at odds of 13/82.63, 13/82.63 and 7/24.50.

17:20 Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle

• 10/10 did not start as the race favourie
• 10/10 were aged between 5yo and 7yo
• 9/10 had previously had no more than eight hurdles runs
• 8/10 had previously won that season
• 8/10 had an Official Rating between 137 and 144
• 7/10 carried between 11st 7lb and 11st 10lb
• 7/10 were Irish-trained
• 4/10 were trained by Gordon Elliott

Record of the Favourites:

No winners in last 10 years.

Betting on the Cheltenham Festival

There are many ways you can bet on the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, either on the Betfair Exchange or on the Betfair Sportsbook, with the most popular and traditional way being to back on individual races via either win or each-way bets.

All 28 of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival races are now priced up for ante-post purposes on the Betfair Sportsbook while all 15 Graded races, plus the Cross Country Chase, have ante-post markets on the Betfair Exchange (markets for the handicaps will appear soon). The Non-Runner No Bet markets, meaning that if your ante-post selection becomes a non runner then you get your money back, are now live for all 28 Cheltenham Festival races.

The 'day of the race' markets typically appear around 48 hours before racing should you want to wait until the final declarations (runners and riders) are known.

Betfair Safer Gambling: A range of tools to help

Betfair is committed to safer gambling and here you can find out about the tools that help you set your budget, keep track of your spend, take a break when you need it, and more. Click here for full details.

And you don't just have to back singles. You can include more than one selection in what is called a multiple.

A selection in two different races combined in a multiple is called a double, three races it's a treble, and four or more races is often referred to as an acca (accumulator).

Closer to the races Betfair will be enhancing odds on certain horses, enhancing the place terms for each-way betting on some races (6 places paid instead of 4 for example), and providing plenty of 'specials' which can include a boosted price for a jockey to ride 2+ winners, or a horse to win by over 5 lengths, among many other specials.

And keep an eye out for the daily Betfair Superboost, where the Betfair Sportsbook will select a strongly-fancied odds-on shot - whether it be a horse to win or a horse to finish in a certain number of places - and superboost the price to 1/12.00 or even bigger.

From the Horse Racing section on the Betfair Sportsbook, simply click on the Specials tab to see all the offers for that day, Betfair Exchange specials can be found here.

Betfair Education - Betting Explained

We understand and appreciate that not everyone betting on this year's Cheltenham Festival will be familiar with how it all works, and that to some new customers it may appear a bit daunting at first.

With so much information already given in this guide you might just want to jump straight in and place some bets. If that's the case, then we have you covered.

Within our excellent Betting Explained section on betting.betfair.com you will find all the educational pieces that you will need to place a bet.

You might just want to know what the simplest types of bets are available to you, or how betting odds work, and even how to place a bet on either the Betfair Sportsbook or Betfair Exchange.

Click the links below for some popular Betting Explained articles for beginners.

- What are the simplest types of bet? Click here.

- How do odds work? Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Exchange. Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Sportsbook. Click here.

Horse Racing Jargon Buster

When it comes to betting, no sport has its own jargon more than Horse Racing.

From an Acca to a Yankee (we can't think of a term that starts with Z), taking in a Jolly and a Steamer, racing is full of weird and wacky terminology that you'll hear and read on a daily basis.

But what does it all mean? Fear not, we have you covered with our in-depth jargon buster below.

Accumulator (Acca)

In simple terms an accumulator is a bet consisting of at least two selections (legs) where all parts of the bet must be successful to secure a payout, with the winnings from the first part of the acca rolling onto the next part and so on.

However, a bet containing just two selections is referred to as a double, while three selections is called a treble, so the term Accumulator or Acca usually refers to a bet that contains at least four selections.

Ante-post

A betting market that appears well in advance of a race's scheduled start time, often meaning you can get bigger odds about your selection.

Back

A 'back' bet on a horse means you're backing that horse to either win or place if it's an each-way bet.

Banker

A horse that is very likely to win, or a horse that is by far your strongest selection if backing more than one, is considered to be a banker.

Betting Exchange

A platform through which gamblers can bet directly against each other on a peer-to-peer betting network, rather than a bookmaker. Betting exchanges like the Betfair Exchange allow lay bets to be made, as well as win and place bets, meaning that gamblers can bet on hores to lose.

Bookmaker

A bookmaker is the organisation that provides odds on the outcome of horse races in order to accept bets based on predictions by customers.

Cash Out

The process of taking a payout offered by your bookmaker before the full completion of the bet.

Dead Heat

When two or more horses cross the winning line at exactly the same time a dead heat is declared the result, meaning both (or all) horses are deemed the winner.

Double

A bet that contains just two horses in two different races whereby both horses must win to guarantee a return.

Drifter

A horse that is regularly getting bigger in price (its odds are lengthening) is referred to as a drifter.

Each-Way

An each-way bet is available in horse races that feature a winner and a number of other horses finishing in a sequence of places.

The bet involves a single selection but is comprised of two bets: a 'win bet' and a 'place bet'. The same horse is thereby backed to win the event at set odds, and backed to finish within a range of places at different odds. The each-way bet will provide a payout if either part of the bet proves successful.

Favourite

The shortest priced horse in the race, the market leader.

Fell (F)

Signified by a letter F in a form line, fell means that a horse tripped up, or didn't clear an obstacle in jump racing.

Flip-flop

When a favourite in a race drifts in price and/or the second favourite shortens in price meaning they swap positions at the head of the market, the favourites are said to flip-flop.

Forecast

A bet consisting of two horses where both must finish first and second in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Gamble

A gamble is a term used for a horse that has been significantly backed, whether it be by just a small number of punters for large stakes, or by many punters for smaller stakes, resulting in the horse's odds shortening considerably.

Going

The term used to describe how soft or hard the ground is on turf racing. In the UK the going ranges from Heavy (very soft ground) to Firm (hard ground) though the latter is a going you will rarely get these days because of horse welfare and the ability for racecourses to add water to the ground to make it less firm.

In-Running (In-Play)

A form of betting that has become hugely popular through online betting sites, and involves placing a bet on a horse after the racet has started but before the race concluds, hence betting In-Running. It is also referred to as In-Play, especially in sporting events other than horse racing.

Jolly

Another term used for the favourite in a horse race.

Jumps

The code of racing whereby most races are contested on a racecourse that contains 'jumps' in the form of hurdles and fences. Officially it is called National Hunt racing, but jumps is a more commonly used term. The jumps season usually runs from mid autumn to late spring.

Lay

On a betting exchange a customer can play a lay bet, which effectively means that you're backing a horse NOT to win. Laying a horse to win a race for example means that you're betting that it doesn't win the race and therefore every other horse in the race is on your side.

Long-shot

A horse who appears to have a low chance of winning and therefore is priced at big odds, 33/134.00 for example.

Lucky 15

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 15 bets (4 x singles, 6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). Just one horse must win to guarantee a return.

Market Mover

A horse that significantly moves in price, either by shortening - 10/111.00 into 3/14.00 for example - or by lengthening in price - 2/13.00 out to 6/17.00. A horse that significantly shortens in price is called a postive market mover while a horse that significantly lengthens in price is classed a a negative market mover.

Nap

A 'Nap' is often used by tipsters and simply means what is, in their opinion, their strongest fancy if they have put up two or more selections.

Non-Runner

Non-Runner means that a horse that was originally due to take part in a race is no longer going to take part, hence being a non-runner.

Non-Runner Money-Back

Non-Runner Money-Back (NRMB), also known as Non-Runner No-Bet (NRNB), is a concession that bookmakers will offer on some ante-post markets and simply means that should you back a horse that doesn't take part in the race, then you will get your stake back.

Odds

Also referred to as the price. Odds are the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Odds-against

A price where the odds are bigger than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 2/13.00 for example.

Odds-on

A price where the odds are less than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 1/21.50 for example.

On the nose

To back a horse to win only without any consideration to backing it each-way. The term is derived from the fact that to determine the winner of a horse race, the first body part of a horse used when crossing the winning line is the nose.

Outsider

A horse who is deemed to have the least chance of winning in a race and therefore has the biggest betting odds.

Photo Finish

When two or more horses cross the winning line in very close proximity and it's not obvious which one won, a photo finish is declared, meaning a photograph (or a digital image) is required to determine who crossed the line first.

Pillar to Post

A term used for a horse that leads all the way (from start to finish) and wins a race.

Place Bet

A place bet involves backing a selection to finish in a particular place, or within a range of places, in a horse race.

Price

Also referred to as the odds. Price is the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Pulled-Up (P)

Signified by a letter P in a form line, pulled-up means a horse was prevented from finishing a race by its jockey. This usually occurs when a horses gets injured in a race or is so far behind in a race that for its welfare it is better to pull it up rather than continue to race.

Punter

The individual or customer who places a bet.

Return

The money to be returned to the customer if a bet is successful.

Rule 4

A rule that allows a bookmaker to deduct a percentage of a customer's winnings should a horse become a non-runner AFTER the customer has backed a horse at a certain price.

Single

The simplest of all bets and means to back just one selection, whether to win or each-way, in a particular horse race.

Starting Price or SP

The starting price is the odds for each hose at the time of a race commencing, and is used to determine the payout to a customer if they didn't take an earlier price.

Stake

The amount of money that you bet on a horse.

Steamer

Similar to a gamble, a steamer is a horse that is being backed regularly meaning a significant shortening in the price.

Tailed Off

The term used for a horse that is a huge distance behind the rest of the runners during a race, and therefore has very little or no chance of winning.

Tip

A selection that is put up or advertised by a respected tipster. A tip can also be valuable but not widely known information about a horse - an owner telling a friend that his horse has been training really well for example, and therefore has a good chance of winning a race.

Trainer

The official name given to a person who holds a license to train horses and is therefore responsible for planning and entering horses into races.

Treble

A bet that contains three horses in three different races whereby all horses must win to guarantee a return.

Tricast

A bet consisting of three horses where all must finish first, second and third in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Unseated Rider (UR)

Signified by a letter U in a form line, unseated rider means a jockey came out of the saddle and fell of the horses during a race. This usually happens when a horse makes a mistake at a hurdle or fence but doesn't actually fall itself, it just unbalances the jockey resulting in an un-seat.

Void bet

A bet which is declared invalid. The stake is returned to the customer without deduction.

Yankee

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 11 bets (6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). At least two horses must win to guarantee a return.

Bookmark our Cheltenham Festival Hub page for everything you need to know.